Automatic time-valve.



P. 's. HUTGHINS. j AUTOMATIC TIME VALVE. APPLICATION FILED 00w. 6, 1909.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

2 SKBETS-SHEET 1.

THE mmms PETERS 00.. WASflINGTON, n. c.

E. s. HUTOHINS. AUTOMATIC TIME VALVE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1909.

981,271. v Patented Jan. 10,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

74 3 I I 45 44 I 22- 45 I: =1 {37 i P 6 i 1 1| i l /8 n O A? 34 Q ii? 25 a5 \31 6 l I THE NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON; D. c,

STATFAATT FIQE.

FREDERICK S. HU'lCI-IINS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO IRVIN SILVERBERG, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC TIIviE-VALVE.

Application filed October 6, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK S. H UTCII- ixs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Time- Valvcs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanism for controlling the intermittent flow of a fluid through a valve at regular intervals.

The particular object of "the invention is to provide a simple, practical apparatus for automatically timing and controlling fog signals and the like, but it will be manifest that the invention is applicable to a variety of uses and under a variety of conditions.

in fog signaling it is common to use a plurality of blasts, two usually, at certain stated intervals and of certain duration. For instance, for each minute of time there would be, say, one blast of four seconds in length, followed by an interval of silence for, say, twenty-four seconds, then a blast of eight seconds in length, followed by an other interval of silence of twenty-form seconds. Herctofore there has been no practical device in use by which these blasts may be given the same force and sharpness from beginning to end. Usually the blast will begin low, increasing crescendo-fashion toward the middle of the blast, and then in decrescondo, tapering off at the end. This is very confusing to mariners, and it is often difiicult to tell whether a blast is close at hand or several miles away, or from which direction the blast is coming.

I have devised an apparatus whereby I make a sharp blast from beginning to end, the blast being of the same strength throughout, and with no tapering off of the blast at the end. Furthermore, I obtain accuracy in my invention, and accuracy is essential in the timing of signals of this sort. Also in my invention, which has been put to practical use by the United States Government, I have obtained a self-contained device with the timing mechanism operated directly from and by the same fluid and the same pressure passing through the main valve to operate the signal.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and l claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus with the auxiliary valve c'asing broken away, showing the position of the cams and levers when the auxiliary valve is exhausting and the main valve is open. F 3 is a detail showing the position of the levers and cams when the auxiliary valve is open and the main valve closed. Fig. at is a detail in section of the auxiliary valve.

A represents the casing of the main valve which may be of any suitable type, but here shown as of the globe and angle variety.

2 is the valve-plate which normally rests on the seat 3.

t is the inlet and 5 is the outlet for the fluid.

The valve stem 6 is removably clamped to a flexible diaphragm 7, which latter has its edges suitably secured between the valve casing and the cover-plate 8; the cover-plate and easing being so fashioned that a chamher 9 is formed on the side of the diaphragm opposite to the valve 2. The valve is opened and closed by varying the pressure in the chamber 9. Ordinarily the same pressure per square inch in chamber 9 and on valve 2 will cause the latter to seat. By periodically varying the pressure in chamber 9, the valve 2 is made to open and close correspondingly. The special feature of this i11- vention is the means for effecting this vari ation in pressure in chamber 9, and particularly through the medium of the same fluid which is controlled by the main valve 2.

10 is a pipe which is tapped into the casing A above the main valve 2 and always subjected to the full fluid pressure entering at -l. ,This pipe 10 terminates in a nozzle, represented at 11, by which the fluid under high pressure is made to impinge upon and to drive an impact fluid-driven wheel suitably housed in the casing 13 which may be suitably secured to a frame 1 mounted directly upon the main valve. The wheel or turbine 12 is mounted on a shaft 15 and by means of the reducing gears l6171819, Fig. 2, a suitable, slow, continuous rotary motion is imparted to the cam shaft 20 which is mounted in appropriate bearings 21, Fig. 1, in the frame 1st, which latter houses the driving mechanism. Shaft 20 carries the doubleended cams 22-23 ar- I against which the lever 2a normally rests,

ranged side by side and operative on the respective levers 2&25, which levers are fulcrumed on the same pin 26. Through the medium of these cams and levers the auxiliary valve 27 is operated to periodically vary the fluid pressure in chamber 9, so as correspondingly to open and close the main valve 2, in a manner shortly to be described.

The valve 27 is here shown as an oscillating three-way valve mounted on a stem 28 and adapted when standing in one position to open up communication between chamber 9 and a live fluid inlet pipe 29, and when standing in the opposite position, to cut off communication with the inlet pipe 29 and allow exhaust to take place from chamber 9 through port 30. The pipe 29 is tapped into the valve casing A above the main valve 2 and always carries the full fluid pressure entering at 4- It will thus be understood that when the valve 27 is opened so that the fluid pressure from the main will pass through pipe 29 into chamber 9, the pressure in the main valve chamber above the main valve 2 and the pressure in chamber 9 will be equalized, and the main valve 2 will remain seated. Turning valve 27 to allow exhaust to take place through 30 will cut off communication through pipe 29 and create an unbalanced condition on the two sides of the diaphragm 7, resulting in the opening of the main valve 2. Thus it will be seen that when the auxiliary valve is open the main valve is closed, and vice versa. In speaking of the auxiliary valve 27 as open, I mean when it is turned to allow live fluid to pass through pipe 29 into chamber 9, which is the position represented by the levers and cams in Fig. 3. Correspondingly, valve 27 is in closed position when it is turned to shut off the further admission of live air from pipe 29 to chamber 9 and allow exhaust to take place from chamber 9 through port 30, as indicated in Figs. l and 2.

The purpose of the cams 2223 and levers 2 l25 is to regulate this opening and closing of the main valve and to produce successive blasts of predetermined length, each of which blasts is of uniform strength from beginning to end. To this end lever 2% is connected with a spring 31 which acts to pull the lever 2 constantly toward the cam shaft 20; this lever 2t carrying a roller 32 adapted to run on the successive faces of its cam 22. Correspondingly, lever 25 carries a roller 33 adapted to coact with its doubleended cam 23. The two rollers 3233 stand side by side and each moves in an arc having the same radial length. Lever 25 is connected by a link 34: with one end of a lever 35 fixed to the shaft 28 of the auxiliary valve 27 The other end of lever arm 35 is connected with a rod 36 which passes through lever 24 and has a shoulder 37 so that whenever the arm 2% drops down it will push down on the rod 36 and so rock arm 35 and shaft 28 to close the valve 27 The upper end of the rod 36 above the lever 24 is surrounded by a spring 38 which has one end bearing against suitable stops, as the lock-nuts 39 on the end of rod 36, the other end of the spring 38 resting on a collar 40 bearing against the lever 24. This spring 3S acts expansively and tends normally to pull up on rod 36 to open valve 27.

The opening and closing of valve 27 is determined by the shape and position of the two cams 22 -23, and they are separated and set one in advance of the other, a distance which will correspond exactly to the time interval of the blast. That is, with the shaft 20 revolving at a predetermined constant rate of speed in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 2 and 3, the distance 00 between the ends of the cams 22*23 will correspond to a four second interval of time or blast, while the distance 3 on the opposite side and between the opposite ends of the cams 2223, being twice the length of 00, will indicate an eight second interval of time or blast. During all the remaining portion of revolution of the cams the auxiliary valve will be open and the main valve closed, and the signal will be correspondingly silent.

The auxiliary valve is closed to the inlet 29, Fig. 4, by the roller 33 on lever 25 riding off of its cam 23, and it is opened when the roller 32 on lever 2a rides off of its cam 22. lNhenever the auxiliary valve is opened the rocker arm 35 is tilted, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to throw lever 25 upward and bring the roller 33 just outside the arc of the guide cam 23. The cams 22 23 are so relatively shaped and positioned that the cam 22 will not begin to act on roller 32, and so tend to close the auxiliary valve 27, until cam 23 has moved into the path of roller 33 on lever 25. Consequently cam 22 can continue to lift on roller 32, raise lever 2a and compress spring 38, without turning the auxiliary valve, un-

til the cam 23 which controls the closing of, the auxiliary valve rides out from beneath roller 33. Then the spring 38 can act to close the auxiliary valve, and it will remain closed until the roller 32 of lever 2% runs off of its cam 22, when the auxiliary again opens by the action of spring 31 through lever 24L and collar 37 on rod 36.

The fluid admitted through nozzle 11 and used to drive the turbine wheel 12 is permitted to pass into the pipe 4:1 and is led back again into the main line beyond the outlet port 5 of the main valve. In order to get a uniform fluid pressure to drive the turbine and so secure accurate timing of the auxiliary and main valves, I interpose a valve 42 in pipe 10, and control the operation of this valve by a governor a3 on shaft 15 which acts through a bell-crank 4A 011 the stem 4 5 of valve 42. The valve 42 is a double-seated balanced valve, and with high or low pressure the valve 42 can be regulated by the governor 43 so the turbine 12 will run at an even speed.

In operation, assuming a constant fluid pressure be maintained through inlet a on one side of the main valve through pipe 10 and nozzle ll, a constant of fluid is directed to drive the motor 12 which operates through the chain of reducing gears 1617 1819 to drive the cam shaft 20 at uniform speed. Also a constant pressure is maintained through pipe 29 on one side of the auxiliary valve, and by turning this valve in one direction fluid will flow into the diaphragm chamber 9 and equalize the pressures on both sides of the diaphragm, and the main valve will be made to close. 011 turning the auxiliary valve 27 to allow exhaust out at 30 the main valve will open by reason of the unbalanced pressures thereby created on the two sides of the diaphragm 7. The vibration of diaphragm 7 to open and close the valve 2 is etiected by means of the cams 22-23 acting on the levers 2st25 through their connections in the man ner previously described; the sudden dropping off of roller 33 from its cam 23 closing the auxiliary valve and opening the main valve 2 to its full extent and causing the blast to start full strength. Subsequently the dropping of the roller 32 off of its cam 2 rocks the auxiliary valve in the opposite direction, thereby quickly closing the main valve. Consequently a full blast of full strength is given during the whole time that the main valve 2 is open.

This general construction of apparatus is advantageous because it is compact, simple, self-contained, with comparatively few parts, is entirely automatic, self-governed, and can be placed in out of the way localities and comparatively inaccessible parts of a building or other structure; the whole device being dependent for its operation simply on the fluid pressure in the main line entering at 4 Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A fluid timing mechanism comprising a main valve having a casing provided with an inlet and an outlet,'an auxiliary valve, with means and connections for op rating the main valve by the fluid which passes the auxiliary valve on the actuation of said auxiliary valve. and means operated automatically from the constant fluid pressure on the inlet side of the main valve to actuate periodically the auxiliary valve said lastnamed means including cams arranged one in advance of the other and connections be tween said cams and said auxiliary valve.

2. A fluid timing mechanism comprising a main valve having a casing provided with an inlet and an outlet, an auxiliary valve, with means and connections for operating the main valve by the fluid which passes the auxiliary valve on the actuation of said auxiliary valve, and means operated automatically from the constant fluid pressure on the inlet side of the main valve to actuate periodically the auxiliary valve, said actuating means including a constantly revolving shaft having two cams, one in advance of the other, and levers connected with the stem of the auxiliary valve operative by said cams.

3. In a fluid timing mechanism, the combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, a diaphragm in the casing connected with the inlet valve and dividing the casing into two chambers, one of which is always in communication with the inlet side of said valve, an auxiliary valve having an inlet into the other chamber, and an outlet, said auxiliary valve having fluid connections with the constant ressure side of the main valve, which con nections are intermittently brought into communication with a corresponding one of said chambers on the operation of the auxiliary valve, and mechanism operable by the fluid connections on the constant pressure side of the main valve for intermittently actuating said auxiliary valve.

l. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing, with fluid connections between the casings of the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and means for operating the auxilary valve, said lastnamed means including a constantly rotating shaft, cams on the shaft, and means operative through the cams for giving a quick opening and a quick closing movement to the auxiliary valve.

The combination of a main valve having a casing with. inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing. with fluid connections between the casings (it the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and m ans for operating the auxiliary valve, said lastnamed means including a constantly rotating shaft, a pair of cams on the shaft, one in advance of the other, a pair of rocking arms, and articulated connections between the arms.

6. The combination of a main valve hav ing a casing with inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing, with fluid connections between the casings of the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and means for operating the auxiliary valve, said lastnamed means including a rockable support for the auxiliary valve, a constantly rotating shaft, a pair of cams on the shaft, means for maintaining the auxiliary valve normally closed, and means acted on by the cams to open said valve.

7. The combination of a main valve having a casing with. inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing, with fluid connections between the casings of the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and means for operating the auxiliary valve, said lastnamed means including atrockable stem for the auxiliary valve, a constantly rotating shaft, a pair of cams on the shaft set one in advance of the other, a pair of oscillating arms acted on by said cams, and connections between the arms and the auxiliary valve stem.

8. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing, with fluid connections between the casings of the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and means for operating the auxiliary valve, said lastnamed means including a rockable stem for the auxiliary valve, a constantly rotating shaft, a pair of cams on the shaft set one in advance of the other, a pair of oscillating arms acted on by said cams, connections between the arms and the auxiliary valve stem, and means acting on one of said arms to turn said auxiliary valve normally in one direction.

9. The combination ofamain valvehaving a casing with inlet and outlet ports, an auxiliary valve having a casing, with fluid connections between the casings of the main and auxiliary valves, means operated by fluid pressure through the auxiliary valve for actuating the main valve, and means for operating the auxiliary valve, said lastnamed means including a turbine, with fluid connections with the inlet side of the main valve for driving the turbine, a cam shaft with connections for operting it at uniform speed from said turbine, and means operated from said shaft for intermittently opening and closing the auxiliary valve.

10. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, said casing divided on the inlet side by a diaphragm into two chambers, the main valve connected with said flexible diaphragm, one of said chambers being a constant pressure chamber and the other a variable pressure chamber, an auxiliary valve controlling the admission of fluid into main valve being actuated by the fluid which passes through the auxiliary valve, a pipe connecting said auxiliary valve with the constant pressure chamber, a motor having fluid driving connections with said constant pressure chamber, and means operated by said motor to actuate said auxiliary valve.

11. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, said casing divided on the inlet side by a diaphragm into two chambers, the main valve connected with said diaphragm,.one of said chambers being a constant pressure chamber and the other a variable pressure chamber, an auxiliary valve controlling the admission of fluid into said variable pressure chamber, and said main valve being actuated by the fluid which passes through the auxiliary valve, a pipe connecting said auxiliary valve with the constant pressure chamber, a motor having fluid driving connections with said constant pressure chamber, and means operated by said motor to actuate said auxiliary valve, said last-named means including a constantly rotating shaft, and a pair of cams on said shaft, with means connected with the auxiliary valve by which the latter is opened by one cam and closed by the other.

12. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, said casing divided on the inlet side by a diaphragm into two chambers, the main valve connected with said diaphragm, one of said chambers being a constant pressure chamber and the other a variable pressure chamber, an auxiliary valve controlling the admission of fluid into said variable pressure chamber, and said main valve being actuated by the fluid which passes through the auxiliary valve, a pipe connecting said auxiliary valve with the constant pressure chamber, a motor having fluid driving connections with said constant pressure cham ber, and means operated by said motor to actuate said auxiliary valve, said last-named means including a shaft driven constantly by said motor, cams on the shaft, said auxiliary valve having a rockable stem, and a pair of levers connected with the stem and operable by said cams to open and close said auxiliary valve.

13. The combination of a main valve having a casing with inlet and outlet ports, said casing divided on the inlet side by a diaphragm into two chambers, the main valve connected with said diaphragm, one of said chambers being a constant pressure chamber and the other a variable pressure chamber, an auxiliary valve controlling the admission of fluid into said variable pressure chamber, and said main valve being actuated by the fluid which passes through the auxiliary valve, a pipe connecting said said variable pressure chamber, and said l auxiliary valve with the constant pressure chamber, a motor having fiuid driving consively-on said levers to Open and close the nections with said constant pressure chamauxiliary Valve.

ber, and means operated by said motor to In testimeny whereof I have hereunto set actuate said auxiliary Valve, said last-named my hand in the presence of two subscribing 5 means including a shaft driven constantly by witnesses.

said mo 01 cams on the haft sa uXili T r v I, i S 1 1d a mummies s. HUTeHiNs. yalye having a roclrable stem, a pair of levers having a common fulcrum, yielding Witnesses:

connections between the levers and said stem, CHARLES A. PENFIELD,

10 and means by which said cams act succes- E. G. BLAsDnL. 

